


Practical Education

by marmolita



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, Canon Compliant, Consensual Underage Sex, First Time, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Pre-Canon, Sex Education, but don't worry the whole story takes place pre-canon, could be read as pre-ot4 if you want to read it that way, or not if you don't
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2019-01-16 16:32:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12346446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marmolita/pseuds/marmolita
Summary: Noctis's cheeks are flushed, and he bites his lip.  "I didn't mean like that.  I mean-- can youteachme?  Can you-- can youshowme?  You've done it, right?""I have, though I'm not certain I understand what you're asking for," Ignis says, brows drawing together as he considers.  Noctis blushes more, cheeks darkening a rusty pink, and Ignis suddenly connects the dots.  "Noctis, are you asking me to have sex with you?"





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This monstrosity is all thanks to [this kinkmeme prompt](https://ffxv-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/4113.html?thread=7031569#cmt7031569), for "Brotherhood Era Noctis [16/17] decides he wants a more hands on approach to sex ed. Ignis enjoys this much more than he feels he should."
> 
> I thought it was going to be a short one-shot, maybe like 2k? And yet here we are, as of the time I'm starting to post this, I've got 10k words written.
> 
> WARNINGS: Noctis is somewhere in the 16-17 range, and Ignis is 19-20. In-universe, Noct is over the age of consent, but I figured I'd tag it underage for safety.

"What's that you're working on?" Ignis unpacks the groceries and sets them on the counter as Noctis runs a highlighter over a handout from school. "Science homework?"

Noctis sighs. "Sex ed. It's a-- there are a lot of diagrams, ugh. They taught us all of this back in middle school anyway, I don't know why we have to do the same thing again. It's not like they're teaching us how to actually _have_ sex, that might be something more useful."

"What exactly _are_ they teaching you?" Ignis asks mildly.

"Eggs, sperm, zygotes, uterus, seminal vesicles, all that. Again. Plus this handout about STDs."

"Hmm, well, perhaps not everyone paid as much attention as you did the last time. I expect most teenagers would benefit from a reminder about safe sex practices in any case." He starts mincing vegetables into fine enough pieces that Noctis won't notice them in his food, and Noctis sighs and turns back to his homework. There's a comfortable silence for a while, as Noctis scribbles away and Ignis cooks.

"Hey, Iggy?" Noctis asks, and Ignis glances up from his mixing bowl to see Noctis looking at him curiously, cheeks slightly flushed.

"Yes, Noct?"

"Um. I remember all the stuff you told me, before, about-- illegitimate heirs and arranged political marriages and favoritism."

Ignis blinks a few times. He recalls the conversation in question. When Noctis had started high school, Ignis had been tasked with taking him aside to have a slightly more royal version of the birds-and-the-bees talk, the gist of which had been to make sure Noctis wouldn't fraternize with his fellow students in a way that would cause problems for the Crown. "That's good," he says, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I'm glad to have left an impression."

He goes back to work, mixing meat in with the minced vegetables along with the other ingredients at hand, then turning it out into a loaf pan. He's just finished sliding it into the oven when Noctis begins, "Do you think you could . . . " and then trails off.

"Do I think I could what?"

"I mean, if I can't . . . if I'm supposed to have an arranged marriage, then-- what am I-- how--" Noctis sighs in frustration. "Couldyouteachmeaboutsex?" he asks in a rush, and Ignis has to stop and take a moment to process it into distinct words. When he does, he sets down the dish cloth he was using to dry his hands, and walks around the counter to take a seat at the table.

"I'm happy to answer any questions you may have," he says carefully, folding his hands on the tabletop.

Noctis's cheeks are flushed, and he bites his lip. "I didn't mean like that. I mean-- can you _teach_ me? Can you-- can you _show_ me? You've done it, right?"

"I have, though I'm not certain I understand what you're asking for," Ignis says, brows drawing together as he considers. Noctis blushes more, cheeks darkening a rusty pink, and Ignis suddenly connects the dots. "Noctis, are you asking me to have sex with you?"

"No! I'm--" Noctis rubs his face with his hands. "Yes. Maybe?"

Ignis takes a breath to steady himself and counts to five in his head. He's been trained to handle all types of uncomfortable situations without losing his composure; surely he can handle this one. Of course, all that training was about dealing with awkward situations involving Noctis, not awkward situations involving himself. He clears his throat. "Perhaps if you can tell me a little more about what it is you hope to gain from this, we can determine the best course of action."

"I shouldn't have asked," Noctis says, stacking up his papers hastily. "It was dumb. Sorry." He drops his pen on the floor in his fluster, and Ignis struggles to regain control of the situation.

"Noct. _Noct_." Noctis pauses, looking up at him from where he's bent to retrieve his pen. "I'm not offended. And I'm sure I've told you a thousand times that there's no such thing as a stupid question. I'm here to help you learn, so please, let's talk about this."

Noctis slowly sits back onto his chair and sets down the pen. He presses his lips together in a tight line for a moment, then nods and relaxes. "I guess I-- I guess I just feel like, I'm supposed to be confident and not get embarrassed by things. And some day I'm supposed to get married and I'll be expected to . . . to . . . "

"To perform?" Ignis asks gently.

Noctis nods. "But how am I going to do any of that if I'm not allowed to even go on a date?"

"You're concerned that your lack of experience will cause problems for you," Ignis says, restating Noctis's words to ensure he understands, "both at the time of your eventual marriage, and in your ability to comport yourself in various other situations."

"Yeah," Noctis says, "and . . . "

"And?"

Noctis blushes again and looks away. "And maybe I just want to know what it's like. Beyond eggs and sperm and zygotes."

"Let me think about it," Ignis says, getting up to check on the meatloaf even though he's sure it won't be done for another half hour. "I'm sure we can find a way to resolve this. In the meantime, why don't you finish up your homework and I'll get dinner ready."

Noctis looks relieved. "Thanks, Specs," he says, flipping through his notebook, "I dunno what I'd do without you."

***
    
    
    Goal: Noctis is comfortable with sexuality.
    
    Topics to cover:

  *     Consent

  *     Safety

  *     Respecting his partner

  *     Power dynamics

  *     Anatomy (review)

  *     ~~Romance~~

  *     Erogenous zones

  *     Basic positions

  *     Common terminology




Ignis taps his pen against his lips, staring down at the paper. He never quite expected to find himself writing up a lesson plan on sex for the Crown Prince, but he supposes it's not really any more humiliating than cleaning up garbage from the floor of Noctis's apartment. All these topics can be covered by a combination of conversation and tasteful pornography, without a need for more . . . _hands-on_ instruction. He tells himself firmly that he's not disappointed.

***

He shows up at Noctis's apartment prepared with a folder full of educational materials, marked up with sticky notes and highlighter, and a dark plastic bag with some DVDs. Noctis is on the couch playing video games, but he looks up when Ignis comes in.

"Hey Ignis," Noctis greets him, "did you bring dinner?"

Ignis hefts the bag in his other hand, which is full of takeout. "From the dumpling place by the Citadel."

Noctis's stomach growls immediately, and Ignis can't help chuckling. He sets down his papers and starts unpacking the food as Noctis sets two places at the table. "What are these papers for?" Noctis asks, curiously opening the folder. "'What is consent?' Is this about--"

"Yes, I gave some thought to our conversation the other day." Ignis selects a few pork dumplings and sets them on his plate before sitting down. "I put together a lesson plan."

Noctis lets out a short, bemused laugh. "Of course you did."

"Yes, well. I brought some materials for you to go over on your own, then we can discuss them when you've finished."

"Discuss them?" Noctis asks, biting into a shrimp dumpling.

"Mm. I believe we can accomplish our goals without . . . direct instruction."

Noctis flushes, then nods his head. "Okay," he says, and Ignis relaxes.

***

_Noctis: iggy there are like four dvds in here_

_Noctis: they're two hours each_

_Noctis: did you want me to watch all of them?_

Ignis thumbs through the messages, then types back, _yes, they demonstrate a wide range of activities_.

There's a long pause before Noctis replies.

_Noctis: ok._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always to [misswonderheart](http://misswonderheart.tumblr.com), the world's best beta!


	2. Chapter 2

There's a DVD case on the floor by the TV the next time Ignis comes over. It's "Feminine Mystique," the one featuring all women. He'd selected it because it contained a number of close-up shots showing female anatomy, and because he figures part of becoming comfortable with sexuality is for Noctis to identify what appeals to him. Ignis closes the empty case and sets it next to the DVD player as he cleans up the room. It's hard not to imagine Noctis sitting on his couch watching the couples, probably touching himself, but Ignis cuts off that train of thought before it goes too far.

He doesn't mention it when Noctis arrives home, instead drilling him on the contents of the immigration report he'd left the previous week.

***

It's two days later that he gets a text from Noctis that simply says, _I'm done_.

He replies, _that was quick. i'll be by after school tomorrow and we can discuss. pls consider what questions you have_.

***

The DVDs and papers are stacked neatly on the coffee table when Ignis arrives. He's not expecting Noctis for another fifteen minutes or so, so he opens the folder to see if Noctis has left any notes.

There are some underlined passages, some question marks scribbled in the margins, and a few places Noctis has written, simply, "Why?" However, there aren't any specifics, so Ignis busies himself with preparing dinner. Noctis is pleasant enough when he arrives, and doesn't seem inclined to jump right into conversation, so Ignis waits until they've finished dinner, cleaned up, and settled on the couch to address the elephant in the room, as it were.

"So," he says, "you reviewed all of the materials I left?" Noctis blushes and nods, suddenly very interested in his own hands. "And did you prepare a list of questions?"

Noctis sighs. "I don't really know where to start."

Ignis considers his hesitance, then decides to try a different approach. "Alright then, let's start at the beginning. Tell me about what sort of experience you have."

"E-- Experience? None, that's why we're doing this, isn't it?"

"Yes of course, I meant . . . Have you ever kissed anyone?"

Noctis's face turns an attractive pink. "Um. I kissed Prompto once."

Ignis raises his eyebrows in surprise. "Once?" he asks.

"Yeah, we-- he-- he said he wanted to practice, you know, so he wouldn't mess up with girls. I figured it wouldn't count as . . . fraternization. He was here in my apartment, it's not like anyone would see."

"I appreciate that you considered the ramifications," Ignis says. "How was it?"

"Uh, wet? I don't know. Messy. Good. I like Prompto." Noct's voice gets quieter. "It was only one kiss. I didn't want to-- I was afraid I might--"

"Do you have feelings for him?" Ignis asks, a little hesitantly. This could certainly introduce some complications.

"I don't know. Maybe. But I can't anyway so I just-- laughed it off, and he was okay with it, and we didn't do it again."

"I see. And has there been anyone else?"

"No," Noctis says softly. "That's it."

Ignis adjusts his glasses as he thinks about how to proceed. He clears his throat. He's going to have to push through the awkwardness and embarrassment of the subject matter soon or later, so it may as well be sooner. "Do you masturbate?"

Noctis's head jerks up, eyes wide. "What? Um." He blinks a few times, then says, "Specs, you made me watch _eight hours_ of porn videos. Are you seriously asking me that?"

Ignis thinks he may be failing in his attempt not to blush, especially as his stray thoughts from earlier are confirmed. "I'll take that as a yes, then. It's quite healthy, nothing to be ashamed of."

"Uh, sure. They told us that in sex ed in school anyway. I don't really know what difference it makes though."

"Well, you can never hope to have a successful sexual encounter if you don't first know what you enjoy. It's important to communicate with your partner about your preferences. That's . . . part of why I brought you the videos. I thought you might want to see what appeals to you the most." Ignis pulls out the folder of papers and grabs a pen and notebook, in case he needs to take notes, though he's still not quite certain how this is going to go. "What do you think about when you masturbate?"

He wasn't sure it was possible for Noctis's face to get any redder -- he doesn't have the same fair complexion that his friend Prompto does, after all -- but somehow it does. "I dunno. Nothing much I guess, just . . . it just feels good."

"That's fine," he says reassuringly. "Were there any parts of the videos that you particularly liked? There are no wrong answers, here."

Noctis stares down at his knees. ". . . I liked the kissing. And when they were-- making out, I guess? When they still had their clothes on."

"Do you find that you prefer women? Or men?" It's a bit of a loaded question, when they both know that Noctis is going to be tasked with producing an heir at some point. If he has no interest in women it could cause some problems later, but Ignis is fairly certain he's seen Noctis ogling female celebrities in movies, so he doesn't think that's the case.

"Uh, both? I think?" He glances up at Ignis, then down again. "There were things I liked in all of the videos. And--"

"And?"

"And some things that I didn't really get." Ahh, finally, Ignis has reached the point they've been headed towards: finding out what Noctis actually wants to know.

"I'm not surprised," he says. "I'm sure your class didn't cover all of the different sex acts. Please, tell me what you found confusing and perhaps I can explain."

"Well-- Okay, first of all, all of the guys in the videos had really big--" Noctis makes a vague, somewhat lewd gesture that gets his point across quite clearly. "Like way bigger than me, but I thought in school they said that the range of normal sizes was smaller."

"Ah, yes, of course. I should have mentioned in my notes, but the physiques of porn stars aren't exactly reflective of most people. The men they hire are selected specifically for their large penises, as the women I'm sure you noticed have particularly large breasts. Pornography is frequently not reflective of real life."

"Well if it's not reflective of real life, then why did you give it to me? Instead of . . . "

Noctis has a point, but Ignis doesn't think they need to go there yet. "While there are many unrealistic aspects of it, it does do a good job of illustrating various positions and anatomy features. I'm sure you noticed some differences between the content of the videos and the handouts I gave you."

"Yeah, like you gave me five pages about consent and then in the video the woman just starts stripping down in front of the electrician?"

Ignis clears his throat. "For example."

"Okay then, let's go back to the kissing. Is that part realistic? It looks really-- nice, but then, there's lots of tongue, and saliva, and isn't it kind of gross? And how do you do it anyway? The one time I tried, it was good, but it was also a lot of like, noses and teeth and stuff. How do you breathe?"

It's not exactly something easy to explain. Ignis's first kiss had been with one of the other Crownsguard recruits, and it had definitely been awkward to start. He didn't really get the hang of it until they'd been stealing moments to make out in empty conference rooms for at least a couple of weeks. "I'm afraid that's something that's rather easier to demonstrate than to describe," he says, a little hesitantly.

"So kiss me," Noctis says, the blue of his eyes standing out against the pink of his cheeks. "It wouldn't be my first." It's not horribly inappropriate if it's for educational purposes, is it? Ignis can't help his gaze traveling down to Noctis's mouth, his lips plump and inviting.

Ignis takes a breath. It's just a kiss. "Very well," he says, "but you must tell me if you want to stop." He puts his hand on Noctis's face, tilting his head for a better angle, then leans in and presses their lips together. He starts slowly, mouth closed, gentle pressure against Noctis's lips which are every bit as soft as they look. Pulling back, he opens his eyes to check in on Noctis. Noctis's eyes are still closed, and his lips are slightly parted as he leans forward for more. Ignis presses in again, slotting his mouth against Noctis's, lips parted but still no tongue.

When he pulls back again, he tells Noctis, "Try to make your lips a little firmer. I'm going to use tongue this time, alright?"

"Yeah," Noctis breathes, "alright," and when Ignis kisses him again it's a little bit better, Noctis's mouth a little less slack, and when his tongue slides into Noctis's mouth, Noctis meets him there.

It turns out that Noctis is a very quick learner, and after a while, Ignis realizes with a start that he's forgotten all about what he's supposed to be teaching and is just kissing Noctis for the pleasure of it. He pulls away, opening his eyes to see that Noctis is breathing hard, lips wet and pink, eyes dilated. Sitting back to put some space between them, Ignis says, "How was that?"

"Great," Noctis says, then blinks and amends, "I mean, I think I'm starting to get the idea."

"Why don't we leave it here for tonight, then," Ignis says, suddenly feeling like he needs some space. "I've got meetings tomorrow, but I can come by again Wednesday. I'd like you to write down all of the things you had questions about. If there are specific scenes in the videos that are relevant, write down the time stamps so we can review them." He stands up and starts packing up his things, trying not to move too quickly.

"Okay," Noctis says. Ignis already has his hand on the door when Noctis says, "Hey, Ignis?"

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Uhm, thanks. I know this isn't really-- this shouldn't really be part of your job."

"Noctis," Ignis says sincerely, " _you_ are my job."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis studiously does not think about his lesson plan for Noctis during his meetings. He doesn't think about it during dinner Tuesday night, and he definitely doesn't think about it when he's getting ready for bed.
> 
> He doesn't think about it Wednesday morning, when he wakes up with the fleeting memory of Noctis's lips on his own and an achingly hard cock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I'm excited this is getting so many subscribers! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Ignis studiously does not think about his lesson plan for Noctis during his meetings. He doesn't think about it during dinner Tuesday night, and he definitely doesn't think about it when he's getting ready for bed.

He doesn't think about it Wednesday morning, when he wakes up with the fleeting memory of Noctis's lips on his own and an achingly hard cock.

He doesn't think about it as he goes about his day, organizing reports and taking notes in council sessions.

He doesn't think about it until he's in the car on his way to Noctis's apartment, when he realizes that perhaps it wasn't the brightest idea to plan to watch pornography with him.

As he stands in Noctis's kitchen, preparing dinner while waiting for him to come home, he has a minor crisis about what he's doing here. It's his job to advise the prince. It's his job to answer Noctis's questions, and it's his job to make sure Noctis knows and experiences everything he needs to to be a successful king. But does that extend as far as he's taking it?

His dithering is cut short by Noctis himself arriving home, tossing his bookbag on the couch, and sprawling out at the table. "I'm starving," Noctis groans, and it's so _normal_ that Ignis can't help smiling.

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Why don't you go wash up?"

"Yeah, yeah," Noctis grumbles, hauling himself up from the table. Ignis focuses on draining pasta and finishing up the sauce he's been working on, and by the time Noctis comes out of the bathroom he's gotten their places set and their dinner served.

Ignis asks about his day as they dine, and Noctis provides his usual noncommittal answers. He's briefly animated describing Prompto's latest photography project, but that's also per his usual. It's comforting to know that their kiss the other night hasn't changed things, so perhaps tonight's lesson will go smoothly.

After dinner, when the dishes have been washed, Noctis sets a piece of paper on the table. It's got a bunch of nearly illegible scribbles on it, timestamps and questions, and Ignis takes a moment to be pleased that Noctis followed his instructions, though he's still a bit anxious about what's to come.

"Thank you for preparing in advance," Ignis says, taking the paper. "Would you like to start from the beginning of your list, or did you have anything else you'd like to discuss first?"

Noctis blushes a little, then sits down on the sofa. "Start at the beginning, I guess. The uh, the DVD is already in there."

"Very well." Ignis turns on the TV and rewinds to the timestamp given, next to which Noctis has written, "Does it really just fit like that?"

He presses play, and the video starts with a very well-endowed man laying back as a woman climbs over him and sinks onto his cock, moaning loudly. Noctis makes a face and grabs for the remote, turning the volume down. The man thrusts up into the woman hard, but she shows no signs of discomfort. Ignis pauses the video. "I understand from your notes you're curious if the vagina is really able to take such a large-- erm, penis, without discomfort."

"Yeah," Noctis says, drawing his knees up and circling his arms around them. "It looked really big, but she just sat on it. Can women really do that?"

"Well it rather depends. If a woman is sufficiently aroused, and has had previous sexual experience, then yes. However, if she hasn't had penetrative sex in a while, is a virgin, or isn't properly lubricated, then there would need to be a bit more preparation."

"Properly lubricated? I thought we learned in class that women have uh, secretions."

"That depends as well," Ignis says, glad that this seems to be going well so far. "Vaginas produce their own lubrication, but the amount is dependent on the state of arousal and also varies woman to woman."

"How do you know all this stuff?" Noctis asks, looking at him sideways.

Ignis clears his throat. "I do have _some_ experience in the matter," he says. "But I've also done quite a bit of reading. Did you have more questions about this part, or shall we move on?"

"Uh, yeah, go ahead."

The next few questions go smoothly as well, with thankfully only a few seconds of the video necessary to frame their discussion on each one. Then Ignis changes out the DVD of male/female couples for the DVD of female/female couples, and when he presses play, he tries not to notice Noctis squirming uncomfortably. The women in the video are letting out particularly high-pitched squeals, and Ignis glances down at Noctis's notes before pausing.

"People don't really make noises like that in real life, do they?" Noctis asks, flushed.

Ignis pushes his glasses up his nose. "Honestly I'm not entirely sure. I've never heard those particular sounds outside of pornography, and I suspect in this case they're effected with the intent to titillate male viewers. That said, some people are certainly noisier than others in bed."

"Why?"

"There's a certain level of involuntary sound," Ignis says slowly, thinking through his answer. "However, some people play up their enjoyment for their partner's benefit."

Noctis stares down at his knees for a moment, then without looking at Ignis, asks, "Are you noisy in bed?"

Ignis freezes, then clears his throat. "I hardly think that's relevant."

"Guess that's a yes, then," Noctis says with a slight grin, always just cheeky enough to get Ignis to roll his eyes. "Bet your partners like it."

"I have yet to leave a partner unsatisfied, but I really feel that's beside the point." So maybe Ignis _is_ a little noisy in bed, and maybe he does play it up for his partners, but there's no reason Noctis needs to know about that. He carefully doesn't think about whether or not Noctis is noisy in bed, though based on his question, it sounds like when he's jerking off he's probably fairly quiet, gasping his pleasure rather than moaning it. "Let's move on, shall we?"

He switches out the DVD again, this time for the male/male couples, and fast forwards to the scene Noctis has marked. One man is riding the other, face to face, leaning back with his hands on his partner's thighs. His heavy cock is bouncing against his belly with each thrust, and he's moaning loudly as his body tightens up and he hits his climax without even a hand on his cock.

It's actually one of Ignis's favorite scenes on this DVD, and he can't help but get turned on by it. Noctis is too, if the way he's shifting in his seat and adjusting his legs is anything to go by, but Ignis isn't going to think about that. He pauses the DVD and looks at Noctis's notes, but he can't read his writing.

"I'm afraid you'll have to tell me what your question was here, I can't make out what you've written."

"Oh," Noctis says, swallowing as his voice cracks. "Um. These guys, they seem to really like-- taking it up the ass. And the women did too, in the other video. But it doesn't seem like it would be that good? I mean, for one thing, their assholes are probably pretty dirty, right? And it's not like a-- like a vagina. It's tighter and not wet, right? I tried--"

He falls silent, blushing harder, and Ignis waits for a long second before encouraging him to continue. "You tried?"

"I tried putting my finger in, after I watched that, but it was-- it wasn't-- I don't get it," Noctis finally finishes.

Ignis does not think about Noctis watching this video and touching himself, sliding a dry finger into his own heretofore untouched ass, maybe even right here on the couch where they're sitting. He doesn't think about it at all. "There are a number of preparatory steps that the videos skip over entirely," he says, schooling his voice to formality though his cock is half hard in his slacks. "I'm sure I can find you some materials on the process if you'd like."

"Ignis," Noctis says, then waits until Ignis meets his eyes. "Have you done it before? Does it actually feel good?"

He can't maintain eye contact, not with such a direct question. "Yes, I have, and yes, it does, when done properly, though some people don't care for it." There are a few more scenes marked on Noctis's list, but Ignis isn't sure he can handle any more personal questions, not when he's trying to get rid of a growing erection that's going to become noticeable any minute. "It's gotten quite late. We'll have to save the rest of your questions for another day."

"Okay," Noctis says, as Ignis gets up. Noctis doesn't move to turn off the TV, instead leaving it paused on a close-up view of a splatter of semen across an attractive man's belly, and Ignis gets the distinct impression that when he's gone Noctis is going to press play. "Tomorrow?"

He hesitates, but he doesn't actually have anything on his calendar, so he has no excuses. "Tomorrow. Goodnight, Your Highness."

He makes it all the way to his car, all the way back home, into his apartment with the door shut behind him, before he breaks down and shoves his hand inside his pants. The wall he's tried to put up in his mind breaks down, and all he can think about is Noctis, his face curious and aroused as he watches the videos. He thinks about the way Noctis saw something he didn't understand and immediately wanted to try it himself, just because it looked like someone else was enjoying it. He thinks about the fact that nobody has ever touched Noctis like that, that nobody has ever brought him sexual pleasure, and he thinks about Noctis asking him, hesitantly, awkwardly, to teach him.

Ignis comes into his hand with a low, broken moan, making a mess of the underwear and slacks he didn't quite manage to take off. He sinks down to the floor and lets his head thump back against the door. It's quite possible he's going to make a mess of everything.

***

The next night, Ignis spends ten minutes sitting in his car in the garage of Noctis's building, practicing deep breathing exercises. He think they may be reaching the limit of what he can teach without having to ask Noctis to practice by role-playing scenarios with him, and given his lack of composure the previous evening he's not sure whether he'll be able to handle that without behaving inappropriately.

It wouldn't do for the Crown Prince of Lucis to be a disappointment to his future spouse, he reminds himself, or to appear flustered by sexual advances, or to appear to be making unwanted advances on anyone else. Noctis had a good reason for asking him about sex, and there's a good reason for him to continue with this. He takes one more deep breath before heading inside.

It's late, thanks to a series of meetings Ignis had at the Citadel, so when he enters the apartment Noctis has already eaten, as evidenced by the empty cup noodles container on his table. Noctis is lying sprawled on the couch in a T-shirt and sweats, playing with his phone, but he sits up quickly when he hears Ignis come in. That on its own is a sign that Noctis has been either looking forward to or dreading his arrival, as Ignis has learned from years of observing his behavior.

"Apologies for my delay," he says as he clears the remains of Noctis's dinner. "I'm afraid there was a bit of a dust-up about the funding for the public library."

"That's okay," Noctis says. "Did it get sorted out?"

"Not entirely, but the Council will find the funds somewhere." When he's finished cleaning up, Ignis joins Noctis on the sofa, then hesitates. Luckily, Noctis is better prepared than he is.

"I uh, I put in the DVD that has those last couple scenes on it, if you wanted to . . . talk about them."

"Yes, thank you, of course," Ignis replies smoothly, turning on the TV. Noctis hands him his sheet of notes, and Ignis notes that the video is already at the first timestamp. He presses play, and the scene transitions from two men and two women having sex on a sofa as separate couples through a fade to black into a scene of double penetration with the second woman kissing the first woman. He presses pause and looks at Noctis expectantly, ignoring the heat that threatens to build in his cheeks.

"How did they coordinate that? Like, how did they even get into that position? They didn't talk about it or anything. Did they plan it in advance?"

Ignis makes a face. "I'm afraid that group sex is something I don't have personal experience with. I suspect that there's quite a bit of awkwardness around getting into the necessary position which was cut out of the video because it's not particularly exciting to watch. From what I understand, group sex is far more common in pornography than in real life."

"Oh," Noctis says, and he looks a little disappointed. Whether he's disappointed by Ignis's lack of knowledge or by the fact that group sex is not as common as he may have thought is a question Ignis is not going to ask.

"Shall we move on?"

"Yeah, sure."

Ignis fast forwards to the last timestamp on Noctis's list and presses play. It's the final scene of a gangbang sequence, in which several men are circled around a woman and ejaculating on her. There's quite a lot of vocalizing from the men, which is something that always gets under Ignis's skin. He hits the pause button perhaps too quickly, but Noctis is a bit flushed beside him.

"Why do people like that?" Noctis asks simply.

"Do you mean, as opposed to finishing inside her?"

"Uh. Yeah."

"You'll find that there are quite a lot of things that some people take sexual pleasure in that other people find unappealing, or even outright disturbing. However, it's fairly common for men to enjoy the way it looks to see their own semen on their partner. They why of it is something better left to psychologists to study, I suspect." He studies Noctis. "If it's not something that appeals to you, you certainly don't ever have to do it."

"I didn't say . . . I mean, I don't know." Noctis looks down at his hands, and Ignis decides this is probably a good segue into the discussion of consent and communication he wanted to have.

"Did you read the papers I left on consent?" he asks, and Noctis nods. "There's more to it than just asking if someone wants to have sex with you. You need to be sure at every step of the way that you're doing something your partner likes, and you need to be able to say no if they're doing something you don't like."

"That's probably easier said than done, isn't it? How do you even know if they like what you're doing?"

"Well, you can ask."

"Seems like it would be weird, interrupting all the time to ask if things are okay."

Ignis takes a deep breath. "Would you like to practice?"

That gets Noctis's attention immediately. His head snaps up, wide eyes meeting Ignis's, and he licks his lips a little nervously. "Practice?"

"Practice asking for confirmation that your partner is enjoying themself, and practice saying no when you need to."

"With you?"

"With me. If you don't want to that's quite alright, this is entirely for your benefit to help you be more comfortable." Ignis can't quite read Noctis's expression, which is making him a little nervous himself.

"O-- Okay. Um." Noctis scoots across the sofa until he's on his knees next to Ignis. "Can I touch you?" he asks.

"Yes, that would be fine," Ignis replies. Noctis puts one hand on Ignis's shoulder, and the other on the side of his face, then leans in, and before he can say anything, Noctis is kissing him. It's much like the first time they'd kissed, soft and gentle, lips slightly parted.

Noctis pulls back and asks, "Was that okay?"

"Yes, but you might have asked first." Actually, Ignis is a little surprised. He'd expected Noctis to practice asking him questions, not practice actually _doing_ anything, but he decides to go with it. After all, this will be more educational than just pretending.

"Oh, sorry. Can I kiss you again?"

"Alright," Ignis replies, and Noctis is there in an instant, teasing his mouth open and sliding in his tongue. He lets Noctis kiss him for a while, still a little clumsy but sweet and enthusiastic, until it's been long enough that Noctis has clearly gotten sidetracked from what he's supposed to be doing. He pulls back for a breath, and Noctis moves to kiss the side of his jaw, then his neck. "Noctis."

"Mm?"

"Noctis, stop."

Noctis stops immediately and sits back, his face flushed in a combination of embarrassment and arousal. "Sorry, I forgot-- I forgot to ask--"

"You did a good job of stopping when I told you to," Ignis says to reassure him. He should probably end their lesson here. He should probably not be letting Noctis kiss him. He should probably not be doing any of this. But it would be a comfort to know that Noctis understands this, that Noctis will say no when he needs to, that Noctis will stop when his partner tells him no. "Would you like to practice the reverse?"

"The reverse?"

"Yes, I'll ask you for consent, and you tell me yes or no."

"Yeah," Noctis agrees readily.

"May I kiss you?" Ignis asks, and Noctis nods. "Out loud, if you please."

"Yes," he says. "Yeah, yes, you can-- kiss me."

Ignis leans in and kisses him again, telling himself that this time he's not going to let himself get distracted from the lesson at hand. "May I touch you?" he asks when he pulls away.

"Yeah, go ahead," Noctis breathes, so Ignis cups his face and pulls him in for another kiss, putting his other hand on Noctis's knee. Noctis tenses slightly under his touch, then relaxes, so Ignis moves on, kissing Noctis's cheek, then the corner of his jaw, just under his ear.

"Is this okay?" he asks, lips hovering over Noctis's neck.

"It's great," Noctis replies, and Ignis continues to kiss down his throat.

It's probably time to push him to say no, Ignis thinks, so he slides his hand up Noctis's thigh from his knee, feeling muscles tighten under his fingers. "Is this okay?" he asks again, pulling away to look at Noctis's face.

"Yeah," Noctis says, "that's fine." He looks like he means it, so Ignis figures he'll have to push a little further. Noctis is kissing him again before he can say anything, so he slides his other hand underneath Noctis's T-shirt.

"Okay?" he asks again, waiting for a no, but Noctis just whispers, "Yeah," against his lips. This is getting-- it's getting out of hand, he shouldn't be making out with his prince, his prince who's still in high school for the gods' sakes. But Noctis is clearly telling him _yes_ at every step of the way.

He slides his hand up from Noctis's thigh until it's between his legs, and he can feel the hot shape of Noctis's erection under his fingers; it sends a rush of arousal through him, knowing that Noctis is turned on by this, knowing that nobody has ever touched him like this before. He doesn't even have to ask this time before Noctis is saying, "Yeah, yes, yes."

Ignis freezes. "Noct," he says, as Noctis kisses the underside of his jaw, "you were supposed to say no."

Noctis pulls back and looks at him. His cheeks are flushed, his lips wet and pink, and his eyes are intense, that particular sort of commanding intensity Noctis possesses that shows up at the oddest moments. "I thought I was supposed to say no if I wanted you to stop. I don't want you to stop."

"Perhaps you should." Ignis's hand is still between Noctis's legs, his other hand under Noctis's shirt. He should take his hands away. He should take himself away, out of this situation, and he should definitely not be moving his hand to press more firmly against Noctis's cock.

"Ignis," Noctis breathes, "I wanted to know what this is like. I wanted you to show me. So show me."

There's a brief moment when Ignis has one last chance to stop this. There's an even briefer moment when he considers it. Instead, he kisses Noctis again, and Noctis melts back against the sofa, spreading his legs so Ignis can rest his own knee between them. Ignis strokes Noctis through his sweatpants as Noctis clutches at his upper arms, likely unsure of where to put his hands. He doesn't mind Noctis grabbing him, since he's only holding on and not restricting his movements. Ignis moves his other hand under Noctis's shirt to the front of his belly, just at the edge of his waistband.

"May I take these off?" he asks, and Noctis doesn't answer, only lifts his hips and shoves his sweats down to his thighs. He's not wearing anything underneath, having probably put them on with the intent of going to sleep in them later. Ignis tries not to salivate. This isn't about him, it's not about what he wants, it's about Noctis. Noctis, who's moved his hands to Ignis's face and is pulling him down to kiss him again, eagerly and ardently. Ignis closes his hand around Noctis's cock and smiles as Noctis suddenly pulls back from the kiss, gasping at the sensation of having another's hand on him for the first time. There's something about this that appeals to a base instinct inside of him, the idea that by claiming this first from Noctis, he'll own a part of him, something that can never be given to anyone else.

"Is this okay?" he makes himself ask, and Noctis gasps, "Yes, _yes_ , that feels-- feels good--" Ignis strokes him slowly, getting a feel for the size and shape of him, watching intently for Noctis's reactions. Everything seems like it's good for Noctis, as he breathes harshly, forehead pressed against Ignis's own, his thighs beginning to tremble.

He speeds up his hand, and it's hardly any time at all before Noctis is making small, frantic sounds as his body shakes through his climax. The heady rush of knowing he's brought Noctis pleasure goes straight to his own cock, unattended and aching in his slacks. Noctis kisses him again, and it takes everything Ignis has to let it be soft and sweet the way Noctis needs. Ignis draws away and fumbles for some tissues to clean up, while Noctis sinks back into the sofa and tries to catch his breath.

When he's done, and Noctis's pants are back on, he tries to force his brain out of its haze of arousal and back to his responsibilities. "Did that feel good?" he asks, standing by the couch, and Noctis laughs.

"Yeah," he says. "Yeah, Iggy, that felt really good. Uh, thanks."

"My pleasure," Ignis says, a little too honestly. He lets himself ruffle Noctis's hair fondly. "But do remember that you need to learn to say no."

Noctis looks up at him and says, "I think I'll need more practice."

Ignis doesn't make it all the way home, that night. Instead, he jerks off in his car in the empty garage, hoping that there aren't any surveillance cameras watching him, and comes faster and harder than he has in a long time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much everyone who has been commenting and kudosing and reccing this! I can't believe I have so many subscribers. Hopefully this chapter's escalation will be to your liking!

"Tell me Ignis," King Regis says, clapping a hand on Ignis's shoulder as he exits the Council meeting, "how is my son doing?"

A memory of Noctis gasping in pleasure flickers through Ignis's mind, but he quickly composes his face, trying his best not to blush. "Very well, Your Majesty. He's been diligent with his studies lately. I do still have concerns over his nutrition, but other than that, he's grown into quite a remarkable young man."

"Is that so? Well, I suppose I have you to thank for that."

"I can hardly take credit for His Highness's accomplishments, Your Majesty," Ignis demurs.

Regis laughs. "I'm sure he owes quite a lot to your excellent tutelage. Remind him next time you see him that he's having dinner with me Sunday, won't you?"

"Of course, Your Majesty." Ignis bows as Regis turns away. When he makes it to his office, he closes the door and slumps down onto his desk, resting his head in his hands. Excellent tutelage indeed. What would His Majesty say if he knew the exact sort of tutelage Ignis has been providing lately? It's probably illegal. Ignis suspects it might be, anyway, though he hasn't gone through the books to see if there's a law against sexual relations with the royal family. At least Noctis is over the age of consent.

If Noctis wasn't experimenting with him, though, he would likely be experimenting somewhere else, and that's about the only comforting thought Ignis has on the matter.

***

He has a brief respite, as Noctis spends Friday evening with Prompto, and Saturday training with Gladio all day and attending a state dinner at night. Sunday is for Noctis to do homework and have dinner with his father, so Ignis has the whole weekend to prepare himself for what's going to happen come Monday.

The only problem is that he has no idea what's going to happen.

He didn't mean for their previous lesson to escalate the way it did, but when he replays it in his mind, he knows he'd make the same decisions again if given the opportunity. They're perhaps not the _right_ decisions, but they're the only ones he can see himself making. Noctis's comment before he'd left about needing more practice makes Ignis suspect that Monday night is going to involve another sensible discussion going off the rails into a "practice" session, and as much as he'd like to think he's strong enough to keep them on track, he knows he won't be able to resist if Noctis asks him for more.

Monday afternoon, Ignis pulls out his lesson plan and looks at it, checking off the topics they've already covered. There are still a few items left, but it seems that even though Noctis has been more or less deciding the direction of their discussions, they've still managed to cover quite a lot of material. He puts the paper in his satchel, gathers the ingredients for dinner into a bag, and gets in the car.

The apartment is empty when Ignis arrives, and he sets about tidying up and preparing dinner. There's a tension in the pit of his belly, and he can't quite determine whether it's excitement or nerves. Perhaps a little of both, though he tries to suppress any excitement. It's not his place to take pleasure in this the way he has been.

He almost cuts his finger when the door swings open, and that tells him more about how out of control he's letting this situation get than anything else. "Welcome home," he says, pleased that his voice is still composed and even. "How was school?"

"Fine," Noctis says, kicking off his shoes and dropping his book bag on the table. "Any big news from the Citadel today? Did the Council find funding for the library?"

Ignis raises his eyebrows. "I'm surprised you remember that."

Noctis flushes a little and looks down as he pulls his homework out of his bag. "I do pay attention sometimes, you know."

"Yes, I've noticed." Actually, Noctis has been working hard lately, and has been showing quite a bit of aptitude for the intricacies of court life, but he hadn't expected him to remember an offhand comment from days ago. "The matter is still under discussion, but it seems that there may be the opportunity to allocate some of the income from property tax to cover the shortfall."

"Glad to hear it," Noctis says, "I wouldn't want the library to have to shut down."

"Oh? I wasn't aware you'd ever been to the library."

Noctis sticks the back of his pen in his mouth and doesn't look up from his homework. "I haven't, but Prompto goes all the time. He gets all his books and movies there. What's for dinner?"

It's an obvious attempt to change the subject, but Ignis lets it go. "Shepherd's pie, and yes, there are vegetables in it, but you'll barely taste them amongst all the meat and potatoes. It'll take a while, so you have plenty of time to finish your homework."

There's a comfortable silence as he works, only interrupted by a few instances of Noctis asking for help or what a particular word in his reading means. Once he's gotten their dinner in the oven, Ignis pulls out his own paperwork, taking notes on the relevant points of reports to share with Noctis later. A few times, he finds his mind and his gaze wandering, catching himself watching the way Noctis sucks on the end of his pen while he's thinking, but he quickly pulls his attention back to the task at hand. It's not like him to be so distractible. Ignis had noticed, along with the rest of Insomnia, that the Prince had grown from a beautiful child into a stunning young man, but until now he's only ever had the kind of passing sexual thoughts that anyone might have when confronted with someone physically attractive. Then again, that was back before he knew what Noctis's lips felt like on his own, or what his face looked like in the throes of pleasure.

A couple of times, he thinks he feels Noctis's eyes on himself, but when he looks up Noctis still has his face buried in his books. Perhaps there's a slight flush high up on his cheeks, or perhaps it's just the lighting.

The timer goes off, and Ignis sets aside his notes to get dinner on the table.

Dinner goes smoothly, and Noctis even eats the peas that he mixed in with the meat, though he leaves the carrots to the side of his plate. Ignis provides a summary of the goings-on at the Citadel the past few days, and Noctis discusses a new video game he and Prompto have started playing. It's refreshingly normal, and it sets him a bit more at ease.

When he's cleared up dinner and is finishing the dishes, Noctis leans up against the other side of the counter and says, "So, what's the lesson plan for tonight?"

"I thought perhaps we might have a discussion about the special considerations you'll need to take into account given your station," Ignis says without looking at him.

"Oh," Noctis says, and he sounds almost disappointed. Ignis doesn't let it faze him. He wipes his hands on the dish towel and goes to sit on the sofa. Noctis follows, sitting a safe distance away.

"The discussion of consent is particularly sensitive for yourself," he begins, trying to organize his thoughts into a proper lecture. "You may ask someone for their consent, but they may feel that they're unable to say no because you're their prince."

Noctis frowns. "If 'no' means 'no,' but 'yes' doesn't mean 'yes,' then how am I supposed to know what actually means 'yes?'"

Ignis sighs. "Well, it ought to be irrelevant in any case, as an arranged marriage will have been agreed to in advance and there's not really any room for negotiation at that point. But I would advise you generally to pay close attention to body language. You need to look for enthusiastic consent, not reluctant consent."

"Wouldn't an arranged marriage probably be reluctant consent? I mean, it's one thing if I'm supposed to marry L--" Noctis clears his throat. ". . . if I'm supposed to marry someone I know, but what if it's a stranger? What if she doesn't want to-- to sleep with me, but we need to produce an heir?"

"I rather expect you'll need to cross that bridge when you come to it. Kings and Queens have been known to put aside spouses who cannot produce heirs. Still, I think you underestimate your charms, Noct. I think you'll find that you're quite hard to refuse."

Noctis blushes, and Ignis figures now is as good a time as any to proceed down the other path he planned for this evening. "I mentioned the other day that there are sex acts that some people find appealing which other people find disgusting. This is probably another topic you'll need to cover with any future wife, to avoid unintentionally insulting her in the bedchamber."

"Come on, Specs, I'm not gonna-- I wouldn't do anything--"

"I'm not just talking about kink, though if you think that's something you're interested in, I can provide you with some materials on how to make sure you're doing it safely." It's not something he's thought Noctis would be interested in, but he supposes he has no reason to believe that he knows what sort of things Noctis _is_ interested in, beyond what he's been told so far. Although . . . "Also, if you do want to experiment, that might require some extra attention as well, particularly to maintain your privacy. It wouldn't do for the newspapers to run an article about the Prince -- or King, when you get there -- enjoying submission, or demanding submission from your spouse, who will likely be a Princess or Queen in her own right."

" _Ignis_ ," Noctis says forcefully, as if he's about to tell him off for daring to even suggest such a thing. Then he appears to think better of it, and sits back without saying anything else.

"What I was going to say," Ignis says, trying to get back to his original topic, "is that something as innocent-seeming as oral sex can be viewed by some people as degrading. I'm sure I've heard you use the phrase 'suck my dick' as an insult before, haven't I?"

Noctis makes a face. "Yeah, I guess, I never really thought about it though."

"There are different ways to receive oral sex, some of which can be seen as more degrading than others. Though of course this depends on your partner, who may enjoy one thing over another regardless."

"That's awfully vague."

Ignis sighs. "For example, it's generally polite to sit back and allow your lover to do what they will with you. It's generally less polite to . . . "

". . . fuck their face?" Noctis suggests. Ignis finds his own cheeks heating up.

"Y-- Yes, exactly."

"But in some of those videos it seemed like the guy who was-- the guy who was receiving couldn't help himself."

"I suppose it's a bit of a learned behavior to be able to be patient and not rush things along with your partner."

Noctis's eyes glint dangerously, and Ignis suddenly feels like a deer caught in the headlights. "If it's a learned behavior, maybe it's something else I should be practicing."

Ignis finds himself licking his lips. This is where he should cut things off. This is where he should say that's enough for tonight, or where he should make a joke out of it, or where he should-- do anything, really, other than getting on his knees and sucking off his prince.

"I would never presume," he says, "to take such liberties on your person."

"Iggy," Noctis says kindly, "you take liberties with me all the time. But if you don't want to, that's-- fine, you don't have to do anything, you don't have to do any of this. Especially not just because I'm the Prince, or because you think it's your job. If you want to teach me, then I want to learn, but I'm not-- you aren't--"

"Yes," Ignis says. "I appreciate your honesty and that you're taking this lesson to heart." Noctis just looks at him, still waiting for an answer. "Setting aside duty," he says slowly, "I want to help you learn because I'm your friend."

"Is that a yes that means yes?" Noctis asks a little shyly.

"It is," Ignis replies, even though he shouldn't. He leans forward and kisses Noctis lightly on the lips, then slides down to kneel on the floor.

"Wow," Noctis says, looking down at him, then averts his gaze. "I mean, uh, do you usually get right into it like that?"

"Not generally," Ignis says. "Never underestimate the value of foreplay. But for educational purposes--"

"Yeah, of course, I get it."

He sets his hands on Noctis's thighs, rubbing them gently as he gradually works his hands closer to the fly of Noctis's slacks. "Remember, if you want me to stop, tell me." The school uniform doesn't have a belt, so it's easy enough to undo the button and zipper. He's a little surprised to find that Noctis is already hard, but then again, he _is_ still in the midst of a surge of teenage hormones. "Take these off for me?" he asks, and Noctis lifts his hips and pushes his slacks and underwear down to his knees.

Ignis removes his glasses and puts them down on the coffee table, then wraps a hand around Noctis's erection. It jerks under his fingers, and he looks up to see Noctis biting his lip as he watches him. Ignis has a fleeting thought that it's times like these he wishes he wore contact lenses, so he could see every detail of Noct's face, rather than having a slight blur around the edges. He _can_ see every detail of the cock in his hand, though, and it's a little different having his face right up next to it than it was the other night. "Are you ready?" he asks, and Noctis nods, then says, "Yeah, yeah, go ahead," when he realizes Ignis is waiting for a verbal affirmation. Ignis leans in and licks a long stripe up the underside of Noctis's cock, and Noctis gasps in a sharp breath, his fingers clenching the edge of the sofa cushion. Ignis does it again, acclimating himself to the taste and texture.

"Try not to thrust into my mouth," Ignis instructs as he licks his lips, then takes Noctis down. Noctis moans, his head tilting back against the sofa, but he manages to keep his hips still as Ignis sinks down as far as he's able. It's been a while since the last time he gave a blowjob, but it's something he's prided himself on being good at. He supposes he could teach Noctis how to give a blowjob as well as receive one, but that seems rather irrelevant if he's trying to prepare him for a political marriage.

It goes pretty smoothly, for a while. Ignis gets a good rhythm going, and Noctis, though breathing heavily, seems to be holding it together fairly well. That is, until Ignis tries swirling his tongue around the head and Noctis reacts by grabbing his hair and shoving his cock in as far as it will go, leaving Ignis pulling off and coughing.

"Oh shit," Noctis says, "I'm sorry, are you okay?"

He clears his throat. "I'm fine, that's quite alright. You realize of course that that's what I was trying to advise you to avoid."

"Yeah, I didn't mean to, it just . . . happened. Sorry." Noctis looks a little ashamed, spots of color high on his cheeks, but his cock is still rock hard and dripping with both precum and saliva, and Ignis finds his mouth watering as he regards it.

"Shall we try again?"

"If-- if that's okay."

"Warn me when you're getting close," Ignis says as he grabs the base of Noctis's cock and prepares to take it into his mouth again. "You want your partner to be properly prepared, so they can choose to pull off or swallow according to their desire." He doesn't give Noctis a chance to reply before he takes him down again, rewarded with a low moan but luckily no more jerking hips. Even when he tries using his tongue again, Noctis manages to keep still, though the soft sounds he's making start to escalate. His hand comes to Ignis's head again, but instead of grabbing his hair, he instead cups Ignis's cheek, thumb brushing across the edge of his lips. Something about that gentle touch makes Ignis's own cock ache, but he ignores it to focus on bringing Noctis pleasure.

And he does bring him pleasure. At least, his cock is swelling impossibly harder in Ignis's mouth, and his thighs are trembling by the time Noctis gasps out, "I'm-- I'm gonna--" and then he's coming, and Ignis sucks him dry and swallows it down, his own cock throbbing with every moan.

He clears his throat, a little raw with the bitter taste still on the back of his tongue, and says in a voice that's probably a bit too scratchy, "You did well."

"Gods, Ignis," Noctis says as he catches his breath. "That was . . . "

"Good, I hope," Ignis replies, caving to the temptation to reach a hand down between his legs and give himself a couple of strokes, to ease the ache just a little.

Noctis laughs. "Yeah, that's an understatement." He glances down as Ignis pulls his hand away from himself, then asks, "Um, do you want me to--"

Something tightens in his stomach, and Ignis hastily says, "No, that's not necessary."

"But if you want--"

"No," he says again, and Noctis frowns but doesn't push, thank the gods for that. He couldn't possibly keep up the pretense of this being educational if Noctis were to-- if he were to--

Ignis swallows and backs away from the couch. "I ought to be going. There's an early council meeting, and I have some reports to prepare in advance."

"Oh, okay," Noctis says as he pulls his pants back up. He's still frowning a little, but Ignis is too worked up to be able to stay and make small talk after that.

"Goodnight, Highness," he says as he gather his things and makes his way to the door.

"Night, Iggy," Noctis replies, but Ignis is already closing the door behind him, leaning back against it to take a couple of deep, centering breaths. He stands up straight, squares his shoulders, and heads for his car.

If he jerks off in the empty parking lot again, well, there's nobody who'll know except him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Would you like to roleplay your wedding night?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go after this one and this one and the next are both loooooooooooooong. (Well, long for me anyway, this whole fic is long for me.) I hope you all enjoy! Gonna go cry forever over the ep Ignis trailer now. :D

The point of the javelin digs into the floor of the training hall as Ignis vaults up and over it, yanking it out as he comes down the other side and spinning it into a violent jab at his imaginary opponent. The javelin holds steady for a moment, then his arm begins to tremble and he loses the follow-through. Wiping sweat from his brow, Ignis sighs and sets the spear back on the rack.

"Looking pretty good," Gladio says from the doorway. Ignis hadn't even noticed him come in. "Careful not to overextend your reach, that's what gave you trouble at the end."

"Thank you," he says, "I'll be sure to take that into consideration next time."

"If you ever want to train with me, just let me know," Gladio says with a shrug, falling into step next to him as he heads for the locker room. "Might be good for us to know how to fight together."

It's actually a rather good idea, though Ignis isn't really in the right frame of mind for that right now. "Yes, we ought to. If you send me your availability I'll fit something into my calendar."

Gladio nods, and follows him into the locker room. Ignis peels his sweat-soaked tank off, taking off his glasses to wipe his face, then tosses it on the bench as he gets his bag out. "Was there something you wanted to discuss?" he asks, when he realizes Gladio is just leaning back against the lockers and watching him.

"What's up with Noct?" Gladio asks, and Ignis's heart skips a beat.

"What do you mean?"

"He's been way more relaxed in training the past few sessions. Loosened up. Don't get me wrong, that's good, but I thought maybe . . . "

Ignis turns his back to Gladio as he rummages in his bag for a towel and clean clothes, to give himself an opportunity to ensure his face is schooled into impassive curiosity. "You thought maybe what?"

"Nothing, just-- Him and Prompto, you know, they've gotten awfully close. I know you had that talk with him back when he started high school, about . . . inappropriate relationships. It might be time for a refresher."

Ignis sighs in relief as he bundles up the towel and clean clothes and walks into a shower stall. Luckily Gladio doesn't follow him in, stopping just outside the curtain. "He's not in a relationship with Prompto, if that's what you're suggesting."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm quite certain. I've discussed the matter with him. He's well aware of what's acceptable and what's not, given his position." Ignis steps out of his sweats and underwear and turns on the shower, and for a few moments, as he lets the hot water cascade over his hair and face, he thinks perhaps Gladio has left.

He's surprised when he hears from outside the curtain, "Okay," then a slight shuffling of feet. "Keep an eye out, would you? I don't want him to get himself into trouble."

"Of course," Ignis replies, and listens closely to the receding footsteps and the click of the door shutting before finishing his shower.

Being more comfortable and confident was the goal of this exercise. If that's what he's accomplishing, then he's doing something right. Isn't he? As he towels off his hair, Ignis frowns. Noctis isn't in a relationship with Prompto. But what exactly is he doing with Ignis?

***

It's three days before he makes it over to Noctis's apartment again. He's pleased to find that the place doesn't have any of the usual mess. Noctis really has been doing better, for a good while now. He's becoming a man, slowly but surely, a man who Ignis expects will some day make an excellent king.

Ignis has dinner in the oven and is sitting at the table going over his reports when Noctis arrives. They haven't really spoken since their last encounter, only exchanged a few brief texts about Noctis's schedule. This morning Noctis had texted to ask if Ignis would be coming by, and sent a smiley face emoji when he'd confirmed it. A small gesture, perhaps, but one that set Ignis at ease that things haven't changed between them.

"Smells good," Noctis says, smiling as he sets down his bag. He tosses his tie haphazardly at the coat rack and starts pulling out his homework.

"Lasagna. It should be done in about fifteen minutes."

"What are you working on?" Noctis asks as he sets his books and papers on the table.

"A report from Drautos on the latest engagement with Niflheim. The Western section of the wall took quite a beating, I understand, but the Kingsglaive were able to fend off the attackers."

"War hero Nyx Ulric again?"

"Yes, his name is mentioned both in a commendation and in disciplinary action."

There's quiet for a while, Noctis working on homework and Ignis flipping through reports, until the timer for the lasagna goes off. They make small talk over dinner, then Ignis says, "Gladio came to see me the other day."

"Mm?" Noctis raises his eyebrows, mouth full of food.

"He was concerned that you and Prompto might be . . . intimately involved."

Noctis chokes, then grabs his water and takes a long drink. "Specs, you know we're not."

"I know," Ignis says, looking down at his plate as he cuts another bite. "But the fact that he's asking means that there's something that made him wonder."

"I haven't said anything. About Prompto, or about-- this." Noctis gestures vaguely with his fork.

"I'm sure you haven't. Just . . . be careful, please. I'm your advisor, Noctis. I'm supposed to teach you what you need to know. Still, these past weeks, I've--" He hesitates, not sure how to continue, trying to express the complicated mess of thoughts in his head. "I've been trying very hard not to cross the line of impropriety, but I'm afraid I haven't succeeded."

"Is that why you won't--" Ignis glances up at him sharply, and Noctis stops mid-sentence. "I'll be careful."

"Thank you." They finish their meal, and Ignis cleans up and packages the leftovers in the fridge while Noctis finishes his homework. When he's done, he looks up from his work to find Noctis watching him thoughtfully. "Yes?" he asks, when it's obvious that Noctis has something to say.

"Whatever Gladio said," he begins slowly, "are you going to stop teaching me because of it?"

It's a good question, one Ignis has considered himself. He'd hesitated when planning the evening -- considered cancelling entirely and telling Noctis they were done with his expanded sex education -- but he'd ended up doing exactly what his better instincts told him not to. "No," he replies, "but we've almost finished covering everything. And when we have, you know of course that this will stop."

"Yeah, I know," Noctis says, but he's frowning. "Did you have something in particular planned for tonight?"

Ignis comes around to the living room and brings over one of the bags he brought with him. Noctis follows him to the couch expectantly, and Ignis pulls out of his bag a box of condoms and a bunch of bananas.

"Seriously?" Noctis asks, shooting Ignis a skeptical look.

"I know you're going to be expected to produce an heir," Ignis says, "but unless you're planning to keep your wife pregnant constantly, you ought to learn to use a condom." He breaks a banana off of the bunch and hands it to Noctis, along with a foil-wrapped condom, then gets another banana and condom for himself. He opens the packet and pulls out the condom, holding it up to demonstrate. "First you'll need to figure out which side is the top. It will only roll down one direction."

Noctis pulls out his own condom, and Ignis finds his body heating up just at the sight of the condom in Noctis's hand. He tamps it down, and proceeds with his demonstration. "Pinch the tip. You need to leave room for--"

"Yeah, they told us this in school," Noctis says, blushing a little.

"Alright then." Ignis turns the banana bottom up and places the condom on it, rolling it down smoothly. "You'll want to be sure to roll it down all the way to the base." He watches as Noctis repeats the motions.

"It's not like this is that hard," Noctis says, tracing his fingers over the bottom edge of the condom. "It pretty thick though, doesn't it . . . make you feel less?"

"Well, yes, sex does feel different with a condom versus without, but that can be a good thing. Aside from the obvious benefit of preventing pregnancy and transmission of infections, some people prefer the feeling of latex, and some people find that it helps them avoid premature ejaculation."

"Is that something I should be worried about?" Noctis asks, avoiding Ignis's gaze.

"Perhaps," he replies, considering. "When having sex for the first time, some men can't hold themselves back. Others find that their nerves make it impossible to reach orgasm."

"Well, we kind of-- I mean, it wouldn't really be the first time, would it." Noctis looks at him a little shyly as he pulls the condom off the banana and opens another to repeat the procedure. "Did I . . . did I come too soon? Last time?"

Ignis is struck by the desire to push Noctis into the couch and ravish him. Knowing that he's been the one to introduce Noctis to these firsts, to touch him, to pleasure him -- it makes him hot all over. "You were fine," he says reassuringly. "I can't predict how you'll react to penetration, though, and I assume that's where your wedding night will end up."

Noctis sighs. "I don't know what my wedding night will be like. What do I even do? Do we talk when we're in the bedroom? What do I say?"

"Would you like--" Ignis begins, then cuts himself off before taking a step too far.

"Yeah?" Noctis asks eagerly.

It's another line he shouldn't cross. It's another line he leaps over with both feet. "Would you like to roleplay your wedding night?"

"Y-- Yeah, that might-- that might be good." Noctis puts down the banana, but takes one of the condoms and slides it into his pocket. Ignis tries not to think about what Noctis is expecting. He tries not to think about whether he's expecting the same thing. What else could he possibly have meant with that offer, though? Ignis has always been a man who thinks through his words carefully before saying them, who considers all the ramifications and only speaks when he's prepared to act accordingly. But somehow all of that goes out the window when he's confronted with the prospect of having Noctis's supple body under his hands, of watching Noctis come apart with pleasure.

Noctis stands up. "Come to bed?" he asks, holding out his hand. Ignis swallows, then takes it and lets Noctis lead him to the bedroom.

As they pass through the doorway, Noctis winds his arms around Ignis's neck and pulls him down into a kiss, slow and thorough. He's gotten the hang of kissing remarkably quickly, for all that they've only done it a few times, and Ignis finds it too easy to lose himself in the wet heat of Noctis's mouth and the slow slide of his lips. Noctis twines his fingers in Ignis's hair, his other hand sliding down to the middle of his waistcoat.

"Can I take this off?" Noctis asks, trailing kisses down Ignis's cheek to the corner of his jaw.

"Yes," he replies, strangely proud of Noctis for his consideration. He lets Noctis open the buttons, then shrugs out of the waistcoat while Noctis nimbly undoes his own buttons and strips off his shirt. He's wearing a tight undershirt underneath, and while Ignis has seen him in it before, many times in fact, he's never really let himself _look_. Noctis has filled out quite a bit in the past year, his shoulders broadening and lean muscle building up from long sessions training with Gladio. He looks . . . _good_ , really good, and Ignis is already getting embarrassingly hard just from this.

He must be letting his concern with his inappropriate reaction show on his face, because Noctis hesitates. "Is everything okay?" he asks, brows drawing together.

"It's fine," Ignis says, swallowing his pride and working on the buttons of his own shirt. He reaches to unbutton his cuffs, but Noctis stops him.

"Let me," he says, carefully undoing the buttons. Then his hands are on Ignis's chest, warmth seeping in through his thin undershirt, and Noctis is sliding his hands up, pushing the shirt off his shoulders, and kissing him again. Ignis hesitantly settles his hands on Noctis's slim hips while Noctis explores his body, fingers tracing along his collarbone, drifting over his shoulders, stroking down his chest. He tugs Ignis's undershirt out of his pants and slips his hand under it, hot against the bare skin of his lower back. "You can touch me," he says, nipping at Ignis's lower lip. "I want you to touch me."

"Alright," Ignis breathes, moving his hands up Noctis's back to spread over his shoulder blades as he pulls him in closer, mouthing over his jaw and down the side of his neck. One of Noctis's hands slides around to his stomach, then works its way up, bunching his undershirt up along the way. Ignis can't quite stop the soft sound he makes when Noctis's thumb brushes over a nipple, and he barely catches himself in time to avoid sucking a mark into Noctis's neck. Gods, he can't imagine trying to explain away a hickey to Gladio, much less to the King.

He pulls away to try to get himself under control, but Noctis takes the opportunity to strip off his undershirt and kick off his pants, and Ignis's mouth goes dry. Noctis is-- well, he's _gorgeous_. Smooth skin all over his slender body, narrow hips, muscular thighs, and a pair of black boxer-briefs that leave absolutely nothing to the imagination, not with the way Noctis's cock is trying to break free. He wishes he could tell Noctis how good he looks, how beautiful he is, how very much he wants to kiss every inch of his body. But that's not what this is about, as much as he'd like it to be.

Noctis is blushing when Ignis manages to force his eyes back to his face, and he reminds himself that Noctis has never undressed for someone before. He's suddenly conscious of his own clothing, and pulls off his shirt to make Noctis more comfortable. There's a definite _interest_ in Noctis's gaze as his eyes wander over Ignis's body, and then Noctis is back in his space, touching his bare skin, pressing soft lips to his collarbone, then his chest. His tongue tentatively swipes over one nipple, and Ignis breathes in sharply.

"Is this okay?" Noctis asks, and Ignis nods, fingers curling into Noctis's hair to pull him back down. This is something Noctis should learn, too, isn't it? To please his future wife? But it turns out there's not much teaching required, as Noctis licks and sucks at his nipple like he's got some sort of natural talent for it. Noctis kisses his way across Ignis's chest to the other side to repeat the process, his hands moving down to slide just under the waistband of Ignis's slacks, and Ignis starts to feel a little lightheaded with how much blood is rushing to his cock. This is supposed to be about Noctis, about giving him what he needs, as much as Ignis takes shameful pleasure in that giving.

"Can I take off your pants?" Noctis asks, fingers hesitating at his belt buckle. There's no turning back if he doesn't say no now. His arousal will be impossible to deny when it's laid bare between them.

Ignis takes a deep breath and says, "Yes."

Noctis makes quick work of his belt, then carefully opens the fly of his slacks. Ignis sucks in a sharp breath when Noctis's hand brushes against his cock through the fabric of his underwear, the brief contact sending sparks along his nerves. He resists the urge to press up against Noctis, to shove him backwards onto the unmade bed, to climb on top of him and rub against him until they're both panting. Instead, he lets Noctis continue to lead this encounter, as he expects him to lead on his wedding night. (It occurs to him dimly that depending on his future bride, that may or may not be a safe assumption, but that hardly seems relevant at the moment.)

Ignis isn't sure whether he's grateful or disappointed that Noctis doesn't remark upon his obvious arousal, and doesn't try to touch him again. Instead, Noctis climbs onto the bed, then reaches out his hand toward Ignis. He bites his lip, then asks, "Will you join me?" It's unfailingly polite, exactly as a prince courting a princess should be. Ignis takes his hand and joins him, letting Noctis push him down onto the bed and kiss him again.

It's much more intimate like this, their bodies flush against each other, Noctis's thigh between his legs. It's all he can do to hold himself back and let Noctis rub up against him without taking advantage of the situation. He lets himself touch, though, his hands trailing over Noctis's bare back, curving around his ribs to thumb over his nipples, and he delights in the moan that he elicits. It's not long before Noctis sets one hand on Ignis's knee, then slides it up the back of his thigh to cup his ass.

He tells himself it's not a personal failing that the touch makes him gasp and rock his hips up, seeking friction. Noctis is an attractive man. He's in bed with an attractive man. Anyone would be hard pressed not to react, wouldn't they?

Noctis smiles against his mouth, and though Ignis's cheeks are burning with shame, he's comforted to know that Noctis isn't upset with him. He shivers as fingers curl under the waistband of his underwear. "Can I . . . " Noctis says, pulling back and looking down at him, his cheeks flushed and lips wet. Then Noctis's face suddenly twists up, his cheeks getting even pinker, and he says, "Shit, I forgot, the condom is in my pants pocket."

Ignis can't help laughing, and Noctis grins at him abashedly before getting off the bed to find it. "Do you have lubricant?" he asks while Noctis rifles through their discarded clothes.

"Um. In the drawer." Ignis opens the bedside drawer, which contains a mess of comics, electronics charging cables, a handheld video game system, and a handful of sample-sized tubes of lubricant that Noctis must have picked up at school.

"If you wouldn't mind going out to my bag," he says, examining the tubes, "I brought you a larger container of higher-quality lubricant."

"You--" Noctis looks up at him, foil-wrapped condom now in his hand. "You planned this out, didn't you?"

Ignis blushes, heart racing. He hadn't, not exactly, but it would be a lie to say he hadn't considered the possibility. "I thought you might want it for your own . . . private use. Hand lotion isn't exactly a good substitute."

Noctis laughs, but doesn't question him further. "Sure," he says, and Ignis allows himself to admire the view as Noctis walks out of the room.

He shucks off his underwear and rolls onto his stomach to make this easier on Noctis, and maybe to make it easier to hide his own excitement about the proceedings. Noctis returns with the condom and lube, and pauses just inside the door, his gaze clearly wandering to Ignis's exposed ass. He comes closer and sets the supplies down on the bed, then takes off his own underwear. Ignis can't help licking his lips as he takes in the sight of Noctis fully naked -- naked and aroused, and exposed only to him.

Noctis climbs onto the bed and sets a tentative hand on Ignis's hip. "Do you really think we're going to do it from behind on my wedding night?" he asks. "I kind of envisioned it as a missionary position sort of thing."

"O-- Of course," Ignis says, blushing as he turns back over. Noctis may be the one who's never done this, but Ignis feels stripped bare in a way he never has before as he reveals the extent of his arousal. Noctis says nothing though, only sets a hand on Ignis's thigh, gently guiding his legs apart to make room to kneel between them. _You're doing this for him, not for you,_ he tells himself. Noctis wants to be comfortable with sex. Ignis is his advisor and guide in life. It's that simple. If he doesn't seek his own pleasure, then he's not taking advantage. At least, that's what he tries to tell himself.

Ignis picks up the lube and presses it into Noctis's hand. "If your wife has trouble, you can use lubricant. I'd hope your earlier attentions would be enough to . . . smooth the way, but if it's a marriage she didn't want, you'll need to do everything you can not to hurt her."

"Okay," Noctis says, pouring some lube sloppily onto his fingers. Ignis decides not to note how much is spilled on the bed.

"Start with one finger," he advises. "Go slowly."

Noctis bites his lip, looking down at the way Ignis is displayed below him, and Ignis tries not to think about how shamefully hard his cock is. He can't help shivering a little at the first touch of a cold finger, pressing gently against him.

"Okay?" Noctis asks.

"Yes, just a little cold," he replies. "You're doing fine." Noctis pushes, and his finger slides in up to the first knuckle. He pushes again, and gets his finger all the way in, then starts a gentle in and out that feels far better than it should have any right to.

He adds a second finger, and Ignis closes his eyes, only to jerk them open again when Noctis closes his hand around Ignis's cock. "Noctis, what--"

Noctis smiles at him sideways. "Don't you think I should try to make this good for my wife?"

Ignis huffs out a breath that's half laugh and half involuntary moan. "I don't expect your wife will have a penis."

"Gotta work with what I have," Noctis says, stroking him in time with the thrusting of his fingers.

"Noct, I'm supposed to be teaching you. This isn't about having fun."

"Who's the one who always says learning should be fun? If I'm having fun learning, shouldn't you have fun teaching?"

Ignis should have known Noctis would be an unselfish lover. How could he be otherwise? He's watched Noctis grow from a sweet and gentle boy into a man, a man who might sometimes pretend otherwise, but still has a kind and giving heart. Noctis can't possibly be expected to take without giving back.

Ignis's heart swells at the eager kindness in Noctis's eyes, and it abruptly occurs to him that Noctis deserves to have his first sexual experience with an enthusiastic partner, not one who's trying to hold back every step of the way. And perhaps that's just an excuse for how much Ignis wants to let go, but it's good enough for him. So he lays his head back, closes his eyes, and lets himself _feel_. He lets himself feel the slick drag of Noctis's fingers inside him, the dry pressure of the hand around his cock, the heat of Noctis's breath gusting over him, before he's taken aback by the wet heat of Noctis's mouth engulfing him.

"N-- Noct!" he gasps, eyes flickering open at the unexpected sensation. Noctis looks up at him, lips wrapped around his cock, and Ignis moans and drops his head back into the pillows.

Noctis teases him to distraction. He doesn't know how to perform oral sex, not well enough to actually get Ignis off, so it's just enough to keep him hard and wanting. Noctis pulls off of him to ask, "Should I add another finger?" and Ignis nods at him in a daze, then groans as he's stretched open by a third finger. Noctis's mouth is back, then, kissing the head of his cock, licking at the underside, taking him down as far as he can then pulling back when he starts to choke. There are some scrapes of teeth and there's no rhythm to it that he can follow, but it all feels so _good_ he doesn't even care.

"Alright," Ignis says eventually, breathing hard, "I'm ready."

Noctis looks up at him with wide, lustful eyes. "Are you sure?"

"I'm ready," Ignis repeats. "Are you?"

"Yeah," Noctis breathes, then fumbles for the condom.

"Pinch the tip like I showed you," Ignis instructs him, watching in approval as Noctis rolls the condom on. He doesn't have to remind Noctis to lube himself up, and then Noctis is bracing himself over Ignis, kneeling between his legs. He gasps at the pressure of Noctis's cock brushing against him, then Noctis presses in.

It's too much, too fast, and Ignis grabs at Noctis's arms and hastily says, "Slow down, slow down."

"Sorry," Noctis says, stopping immediately. " _Ignis_ , you feel so-- so good, I'm sorry, did I hurt you? Are you okay?"

Ignis takes a deep breath, then leans up to kiss him. "I'm okay," he says, "just give me a minute. You're doing fine." Noctis's arms are trembling under his fingers with the strain of holding still. Ignis kisses him again, starting slowly but building until pleasure overtakes him. "You can move," he says, pulling back from the kiss, "slowly." Noctis nods, then pushes a little at a time, his cock sliding in inch by inch.

When he's fully seated, he lowers himself to his elbows, mouthing at Ignis's neck as his hips start to move in tentative, shallow thrusts. "That's good," Ignis murmurs into Noctis's hair, his hands sliding around Noctis's back. "You're doing well, that's good, you're so good." It's starting to turn into nonsense, but the way Noctis is trembling, the way Ignis's cock is brushing against Noctis's abdomen, the way he feels so perfectly split open all conspire to rob him of his reason.

Noctis pulls out further before sliding back in, and both of them moan. He keeps it up, slow and even strokes, letting Ignis feel the full length of his cock. Ignis isn't sure what he expected from Noctis, but it was something faster, more uneven, more awkward. It definitely wasn't this delicious slow build of tension. It wasn't Noctis's lips brushing his own, open-mouthed and soft. It wasn't Noctis's hand moving down his side to cup his ass and hitch him up higher. It wasn't the quiet sounds that Noctis is making, sounds which are starting to escalate.

Ignis slides a hand between them to close around his own cock, spreading the precum he's been dripping over the head and stroking himself. Noctis glances down at what he's doing and makes another choked sound, speeding up his thrusts as he watches Ignis's hand. The intensity of Noctis's gaze sends heat coiling through him, and he can't stop his loud breathing from turning into a louder whine as he twists his hand, jerking himself faster.

" _Fuck_ , Ignis, are you going to-- are you--"

Ignis can't speak, he can only gasp for breath as his climax approaches, then hits him so hard he sees stars. Noctis is cursing again, his strokes getting faster and harder, and before Ignis can clear the haze of pleasure, Noctis captures his lips again, moaning his own climax into Ignis's mouth as their hips slam together.

Noctis collapses on top of him, and for a moment, Ignis can't find it in him to do anything other than pet his hair, fingers sliding through the sweaty strands. When he realizes Noctis isn't moving any time soon, he murmurs, "You need to pull out and tie off the condom before it falls off."

Noctis moves slowly, kissing his neck, his jaw, his lips on his way up. Ignis shivers when Noctis pulls out, then shows him how to tie a knot in the condom before throwing it away. He cleans himself up, passes some tissues to Noctis, then lays back as Noctis curls up next to him in bed.

There's a soft press of lips on his shoulder, and Noctis murmurs, "Did I do okay?"

Ignis smiles. "You were perfect." He lets himself have this moment, the satisfaction of knowing that no matter who Noctis ends up marrying, Ignis will always have this piece of him.

Later, when Noctis falls asleep, Ignis will take his leave and make his way back to his apartment. He'll fall into his own bed, mind awash with memories of this encounter. Later, he'll be ashamed of himself. But for now this is enough, and Ignis allows himself to enjoy it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Do you want to have sex with me?"
> 
> "It hardly matters what I--"
> 
> " _Ignis_." Noctis cuts him off, then raises a hand to cup Ignis's cheek. "Do you want to have sex with me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU so much for sticking with me all the way to the end of this! I really appreciate every kudos and comment. I'm very happy with the ending and I hope you are too! This is officially the longest fic I have ever written in my life, and I've been in fandom for over 20 years.

It's raining. Not hard enough to be a real problem, but enough to be annoying, as Ignis fumbles with an umbrella that doesn't want to hold still in the gusting wind. He manages to make it across the parking lot and wrangles the umbrella into submission as he slides into the car, only getting himself minimally wet. Shoving the umbrella into the plastic bag he's brought along for just this reason, he tosses it in the back and sets his wet satchel on the floor of the passenger seat.

It's a Friday, and it's late -- long past the time he normally would have left the Citadel and driven to Noctis's apartment or home. But Noctis had gone out with Prompto after school, and Ignis had had a feeling that if he went home, he would end up thinking rather too much about the evening he'd spent with Noctis two nights ago. Instead, he'd thrown himself into his work, trying to force himself to focus by keeping busy. It wasn't like he ever ran out of work to do. He'd lost track of time, poring over immigration reports, and hadn't noticed how late it had gotten until his phone had buzzed and startled him out of his haze of statistics.

Now, close to midnight, he starts up the car and heads out to pick up Noctis and Prompto. At least Noctis had the decency to apologize for calling so late, and to apologize for having gone to a party in the first place without notifying Ignis or Gladio or anyone in the Crownsguard to keep an eye on him. The event isn't too far away, still in the nice part of town, and Ignis gets there as quickly as he can. Noctis hadn't sounded upset, exactly, but Ignis had gotten the impression that his presence was desired as soon as possible.

He pulls up in front of the address Noctis had texted him. It's a nice house, and there are a lot of teenagers around. He wonders, briefly, if the parents who own the house are aware that there's a party going on, but he supposes it's not really his place to interfere. He's only here for Noctis, after all. And there Noctis is, on the covered porch, with Prompto hanging off his side looking like he's had far too much to drink. Noctis notices the car immediately, and rushes Prompto through the rain into the back seat.

"Thanks," Noctis says as he leans over to buckle Prompto in, then fastens his own seatbelt and wipes raindrops from his face. "Sorry for dragging you out here. I didn't think I could get him home in the rain like this."

"Hey, Iggy!!" Prompto says, far too loudly, as he leans forward and gives Ignis an awkward, drunken hug around the back of his seat. "You're not mad at Noct, are you? It's totally my fault, I made him come with me because I didn't want to go alone."

Ignis sighs. "Please tell me nothing happened at this party that I'll be seeing in the tabloids tomorrow." Prompto starts giggling, and Ignis takes a deep breath, holds it for a count of five, then lets it out. "Noctis, I hope you haven't had as much to drink as your friend."

He examines Noctis in the rearview mirror. Noctis doesn't _look_ drunk, though his cheeks are a light pink. "No, I only had one drink. With food. Two hours ago. And I don't think there's anything that will be in the tabloids."

"Dude! What about that girl, though."

Ignis raises his eyebrows as he pulls away from the curb. "A girl, Your Highness?"

Noctis shoots Prompto a dirty look, then says, "Nothing happened."

"She practically climbed on your lap and threw herself at you, buddy, I don't know how you said no to that." Prompto puts his hands on Ignis's shoulders and adds, "Iggy, Iggy, this girl was so hot. So hot! And Noct just-- he didn't even-- I would have been _freaking out_ , dude, if that girl was coming on to me, and you just said, what did you say?"

"Prompto, please take your hands off of my shoulders, you're making it difficult to drive." Ignis is half imagining a tabloid with a cover photo of a drunken schoolgirl in the Prince's lap, and half relieved that it sounds like Noctis didn't actually allow things to progress past that point.

"Oh shit sorry," Prompto says, pulling his hands back. "But Noct just took her hands and put them back like this," he grabs Noctis's hands, puts them on his shoulders, then puts them back in Noctis's lap, "and said, 'I'm flattered, but I'm afraid--'" Prompto trails off into hysterical giggles. "He sounded like _you_ Iggy, it was amazing -- 'I'm afraid that's not appropriate,' and then he got up so she'd have to leave him alone."

They pull up to a red light, and Ignis looks in the mirror to see that Noctis is hanging his face in his hands. "That was very well done," Ignis says quietly, and Noctis looks up at him with a small smile.

"Dude, you could have at least sent her over to me. I don't know what kind of wingman you think you are, but you're a really shitty one."

"Hey, it's not my fault you get tongue-tied whenever a pretty girl talks to you," Noctis says, giving his friend a playful shove as the car starts moving again. "Besides, you drank too much for me to leave you alone anyway."

"Aww, come on. It's totally not fair, you're royalty, and you're so hot, and everyone wants you, and then you don't even do anything about it! What the fuck, dude, what the fuck."

In the mirror, Ignis sees Noctis glance up at him once, then back down at Prompto, who is now slumped against his side, looking up at him with an expression that reminds Ignis of Gladio's concerns about their relationship. "I'm not allowed to do anything," Noctis tells him. "It's-- You said it, I'm royalty, I'm not allowed to date whoever I want. There's . . . you know, politics."

"Wait, seriously? You're not allowed to date? Ignis, did you know about this?"

"I'm afraid Noctis is quite correct," Ignis says. He's actually surprised that Noctis hasn't mentioned this to Prompto before, given that the two seem to share everything else about themselves.

Prompto flings himself back against the seat. "Well that explains a lot," he says. Then he seems to think some more, and exclaims, "That _sucks_!"

Noctis laughs. Ignis can see him looking fondly at Prompto in the mirror, before he glances up to meet Ignis's eyes. "Yeah," Noctis says, "it kind of does."

They pull up at Prompto's door, and Noctis helps Prompto out of the car and gets him safely inside. Ignis lets the engine idle and tries to figure out what he's feeling. He's proud of Noctis, for staying level-headed in a provocative social situation, for appropriately turning down the girl who'd propositioned him, and, most of all, for taking his responsibilities seriously. Well, aside from having gone to the party in the first place, but in the grand scheme of things that's far less an issue than an illicit affair with another student would have been.

He also feels sorry for Noctis. It isn't fair, not really, that Noctis can't give his heart away as he'd like to, that he can't have those first innocent fumblings toward romance that all young people should have. Ignis may have been able to help him with the awkwardness of losing his virginity, but romance was never part of their lessons. It simply wasn't relevant.

Noctis emerges from Prompto's house, closing the door behind him, then gets in the passenger seat. Ignis tries not to worry himself about his bag getting crushed under Noctis's feet. Instead, he looks over as Noctis sighs and leans his head back on the headrest.

"Is Prompto going to be alright?"

"Yeah, I got him some water, he's going to sleep it off. Hey, do you think . . . "

"Yes?"

Noctis rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "I know it's really late, but, uh, I'm kind of hungry."

"I admit I missed dinner myself. Shall I drive through somewhere?"

"Yeah, burgers maybe?"

"Of course."

The drive passes in companionable silence, though he suspects Noctis is waiting to be chewed out over having snuck out to a party. He'll have to talk to him about it eventually, but it's a conversation that would be better had with full stomachs.

***

Ignis dips his last french fry into ketchup and savors the salty bite of it on his tongue. He hadn't realized quite how hungry he was until he'd found himself reaching into the bag to grab a handful of fries as soon as they pulled out of the drive-thru. Noctis had even remarked upon it, though he seemed more amused than anything else.

Now, he begins to clean up the remains of their meal as Noctis slurps the last of his soda. It's comfortably routine and makes Ignis wonder why he's spent any time at all worrying about the possibility of changing the nature of his relationship with Noctis.

"Okay," Noctis says, as Ignis disposes of the last of the wrappers. "Go on, I already know what you're going to say. I shouldn't be going to parties, much less parties where there's drinking, and I absolutely shouldn't go anywhere without at least informing the Crownsguard so they can go with me. Right?"

Ignis starts washing his hands. "Yes, that's right. It makes me wonder why, if you know all of that, you still went to the party."

Noctis leans on the other side of the counter. "Prompto didn't want to go alone." He pauses for a moment, then adds, "I didn't want him to go alone. I thought he might get into trouble, or get pressured into doing something he didn't really want to do."

"And you didn't tell the Crownsguard because . . . ?"

"Because if I showed up with guards, I'd ruin it for everyone else -- including Prompto. Nobody would come talk to him if I had guards hovering over us the whole time. And it's not like I could bring Gladio, he's so huge he makes Prompto look like a little kid."

"I appreciate your concern for your friend, Noct, I do. But you have to understand that your safety is more important than his social life." Ignis wipes his hands on a towel and comes around the kitchenette to stand next to Noctis.

"It's bad enough that I can't have a normal social life. It shouldn't mean my friends can't either."

Ignis is aware of the space between himself and Noctis. There's about three inches separating their shoulders from touching -- a polite distance that Ignis keeps out of force of habit. He thinks about Prompto's story of the girl inserting herself into Noctis's personal space. "What's done is done," he says, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I did want to tell you that I'm very proud of you for handling what must have been an awkward situation with the girl at the party."

Noctis looks up at him, flushing slightly. "Yeah?" Ignis inclines his head, and Noctis smiles. "It was . . . it wasn't that bad. I thought about everything you taught me. I think if we hadn't-- if I had never had someone that close to me, I might have screwed up." Noctis's eyes widen as he realizes the implication of his words, and he adds, "Not like that, I mean, I wouldn't have _done_ anything with her, but it would have been a lot more awkward."

"I'm glad that our lessons had the desired effect. You've now had a range of experiences, so hopefully all similar situations in the future will be defused as easily."

Noctis looks away as his smile falters slightly. "There's still one thing we haven't done."

Ignis blinks at him in surprise. He begins cataloguing their experience together, and when he thinks about Noctis's expectations for the future, he comes up empty-handed. At least, empty-handed of things a man can provide. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"I mean," Noctis says, looking carefully at his own feet, "I haven't gotten-- I haven't . . . been on the bottom."

_Oh_. "That's--" Ignis clears his throat, banishing the image of Noctis writhing underneath him from his mind. "I don't expect you'll need that experience in your future marriage."

"Probably not," Noctis agrees, "but I want to do it anyway." He looks up at Ignis, finally, interest and intent clear on his face. "Do you?"

Ignis finds himself at a loss for how to handle this situation. He's spent his whole life training to be cool under pressure, yet somehow Noctis's innocent desire undoes him completely. "We can't-- Noct, you can't--"

"I know," Noctis says, "I can't have a relationship. I'm not asking for one. I just want to . . . I want to have sex with you. And if it's only one more time, that's okay." He pauses, face flushed but still looking at Ignis intently. "Do you want to have sex with me?"

"It hardly matters what I--"

" _Ignis_." Noctis cuts him off, then raises a hand to cup Ignis's cheek. "Do you want to have sex with me?"

". . . yes." His heart thumps painfully in his chest and his cheeks burn at the confession, but Noctis smiles brightly and rubs his thumb over Ignis's cheekbone.

"Okay then," he says, "let's do it." Then Noctis is kissing him, mouth still salty from their late dinner, and Ignis can't find it within himself to stop. His hands come to Noctis's waist as if of their own volition, and then he's pulling Noctis closer and leaning into his kiss. Maybe it's just that he's been trying so hard not to think about this for the past two days, to be _done_ with this foolishness, but having Noctis willing and eager and wanting to be fucked has his cock getting hard in record time.

They kiss up against the counter for a few minutes, and Ignis allows his hands to wander. Noctis wants this, wants _him_ , and Ignis has never been able to deny him anything. Certainly not when it's something he wants so much himself. His fingers slide into the back pockets of Noctis's jeans, and Noctis makes a small sound into his mouth that makes it hard to breathe. It makes it hard to _think_ , but Ignis can't let himself forget that this is going to be another first for Noctis, and that means he has to make sure it's done right.

"Noct," he murmurs as Noctis kisses his neck.

"Mm?"

"You should probably go take a shower."

Noctis pulls back and looks at him in confusion. "Do I smell?"

Ignis laughs. "No, I only meant . . . if we're going to-- if you want me to--" He's never been so tongue-tied in his life. He takes a deep breath and continues, "If I'm going to fuck you, you should wash first. Get yourself as clean as you can." Noctis's face goes red, but his eyes betray his arousal. "Unless you were planning this all day and you already . . . ?"

"I'll go wash," Noctis says hastily, then hesitates, eyes narrowing. "The other day, when we-- were you planning that? Did you . . . prepare?"

Ignis looks away, suddenly unable to meet Noctis's gaze. It's not so much that he had planned for it as he had allowed for the possibility. Always being prepared for any possible outcome is part of his job. "I didn't plan it, but I didn't _not_ plan it," he admits.

Noctis grins at him, and leans in for a quick kiss. "Don't go anywhere while I'm in the shower, okay?"

"I wouldn't dream of it," he replies. Of course, as soon as the bathroom door closes, his confidence abandons him entirely. This isn't for Noctis's education. This isn't even for his comfort in social situations. This is only because Noctis wants it, and Ignis wants it, and he isn't sure if that makes it acceptable, but now that they've gotten started he doesn't want to stop. His mind fills with thoughts of what Noctis might be doing in the shower. Is he only perfunctorily washing? Or is he touching himself?

Ignis makes his way into the bedroom and pushes the covers down on the unmade bed, sitting on the edge of it and leaning back on one hand. He lets his other hand wander between his legs, rubbing himself through his slacks as he imagines Noctis stroking his own cock slowly, water pouring over his naked body. He's tried to avoid fantasizing about Noctis for so long that it's almost cathartic to allow himself now, to indulge in the forbidden, if only for this one night.

The shower turns off, and Ignis's hand tightens on his cock, then withdraws to his thigh. He swallows thickly as he listens to the sound of Noctis toweling off, his pulse accelerating as the door clicks open. Noctis enters the room with a towel slung low around his hips, pushed out in the middle by his half-hard cock.

Ignis's heart beats hard as Noctis smiles at him and says, slightly surprised, "You stayed."

"I said I would."

"Yeah, you did." Noctis approaches the bed, then drops the towel on the floor and climbs up, straddling Ignis's hips. "I was afraid you'd decide this was too . . . inappropriate."

"It's terribly inappropriate," Ignis replies, his hands coming up to caress Noctis's sides. "But you're terribly tempting, and I'm terribly weak."

Noctis leans in to kiss him, slowly and sweetly. "You're not weak," he says when he pulls back. "You're allowed to want things."

It's just one time. It's just one night. "I want you," Ignis confesses as he pulls Noctis into his lap, bringing their lips together again. Their kiss is heated and eager, full of promise, and Ignis groans as Noctis rolls his hips against him. He lets his hands move down to Noctis's ass, enjoying the way Noctis arches against him and the catch of his breath when Ignis pulls back to kiss his neck. No more holding back, not tonight. Ignis dips his tongue into the hollow of Noctis's collarbone, then laves a long swipe up his neck to suck Noctis's earlobe into his mouth.

" _Ignis_ ," Noctis gasps, rocking hard against him, hands clenching in the fabric of Ignis's waistcoat. Ignis teases Noctis's ear with the tip of his tongue, tugging it between his lips, and Noctis exhales a breath that's just shy of a moan. Tugging at Ignis's clothes, Noctis says, "You gonna take this off or what?" and Ignis can't help kissing him again.

It's hard to convince himself to push Noctis off of his lap and get up when everything in him is screaming for more, but the promise of skin on skin is enough to do it. He gets out of his waistcoat and shirt in record time, nearly popping off a button, while Noctis watches, seated on the edge of the bed. The belt comes next, then slacks, underwear, socks, until Ignis is fully naked. Noctis is looking at him, eyes moving slowly over his body, and Ignis would feel self-conscious if Noctis didn't look so incredibly turned on. Or if Noctis wasn't slowly stroking his own cock, and _that's_ something Ignis never expected to see. It's also something he never expected would be so damned tantalizing.

"How do you want me?" Noctis asks.

"Whatever would be most comfortable for you," he replies, setting his glasses on the bedside table and reaching in the drawer to get the lubricant. His assumption that Noctis left it there last time turns out to be a good one, and he finds the box of condoms there as well.

Noctis waits until Ignis is back on the bed with him, then pulls him down so they're side by side, hooking one leg over Ignis's hip. "Will this work?" he asks, nuzzling the bottom of Ignis's jaw.

Ignis smooths one hand down Noctis's side and around the curve of his hip, dipping between his cheeks and smiling when Noctis shivers. "Yes, I think this will be fine for now." He withdraws his hand long enough to coat it in lube, then kisses Noctis again as he reaches back to circle a wet finger around Noctis's entrance. "Alright?" he asks when Noctis makes a small sound.

"Yeah, it's just . . . different."

Ignis moves his other hand between them to take hold of both of their erections, stroking them together as he pushes his finger in. "Try to relax," he says. "There's no hurry." Noctis takes a deep breath, and he starts to relax. For a while, there's nothing but the sound of their breathing, as Noctis is rocked back and forth between Ignis's hands. He keep his grip on their cocks loose -- enough to keep them both hard, but not enough to end things before they've even begun.

By the time he's worked up to three fingers, the frown line between Noctis's eyebrows is gone, and he's moving his hips on his own. Noctis fucking himself on Ignis's fingers is probably the hottest thing he's ever seen, especially considering Noctis has never done this before. He's absolutely gorgeous like this, flushed and sweaty, eyes dark with arousal. Ignis is struck by how much he wants to give Noctis pleasure, how much he enjoys introducing him to things he's never felt before.

Letting go of their cocks, Ignis moves his arm for leverage, then raises himself up to get a different angle. "Move your leg up a little higher," he says, and Noctis complies, hitching his knee up closer to Ignis's chest than his hip. The change is enough to let Ignis finally get his fingers directly on Noctis's prostate, and Noctis jerks when he touches it, clenching around him.

"Oh, _fuck_ ," Noctis gasps, "what--"

Ignis rubs his prostate again, and Noctis trails off into a whimper. "That," Ignis says, "is your prostate."

"Feels strange," Noctis says, his face contorting into an expression of concentration.

"Do you want me to stop?"

"No! No, keep going, it's . . . it's good, it's just . . . "

"Different?" he offers. Noctis nods, so Ignis keeps going, gently stimulating him, then easing back off, until he starts to relax again. When he's loosened up enough, Ignis lays back down and takes Noctis's cock in his free hand again. He's still hard, harder now than when they started, with precum beading at the tip. "Do you want me to get you off like this?" he asks, nipping gently at Noctis's lower lip.

Noctis opens his eyes in surprise, as if he hadn't realized he'd closed them. "N-- No, I want-- I want you to . . . I want you inside me." It seems silly for Noctis to blush when he's had Ignis's fingers in his ass for a good half hour, but there it is, and it's so sweet that Ignis can't help leaning in for a kiss.

"Alright then. I don't think this position is going to work for that."

"Okay," Noctis says, pulling his leg back as Ignis slides his fingers out. "What should I do?"

"Open this condom for me, for one," Ignis says, rolling onto his back, "my fingers are too slippery." Noctis does as asked, then reaches down and strokes Ignis's cock a few times before rolling on the condom. If he wasn't already achingly hard, having Noctis's hand on him would have done the trick for sure. Ignis pours out more lube and slicks himself up, then grabs a tissue and wipes the mess off his fingers.

He scoots himself up so that he's sitting reclined against the pillows, then reaches for Noctis. "Come here," he says, pulling Noctis in to straddle his lap. "This way you can set the pace."

"Um," Noctis says, still blushing, "okay." He reaches behind himself and takes hold of Ignis's cock, lining it up against himself, then tries to sink down on it. First time sex is never that easy, though, and Ignis's cock slips across Noctis's ass, sliding out of his grip. "Sorry," Noctis says, and Ignis sets a hand on his thigh to comfort him.

"It's alright. Take your time." This time Ignis holds his own cock still while Noctis positions himself, and the tip slips inside. Noctis makes a surprised sound, and his hands come down to brace himself on Ignis's shoulders. "You're doing fine," Ignis says, still holding himself with one hand while he rubs Noctis's thigh reassuringly with the other. He wants nothing more than to thrust up into the tight heat of Noctis's body, but he holds himself back, letting Noctis slowly easy his way down, a little bit at a time.

Noctis is biting his lower lip, brow furrowed in concentration, and when he's halfway in Ignis lets go of himself and moves his hand instead to close around Noctis's slightly flagging erection. Noctis gasps and opens his eyes, sliding down a little further as his hips jerk. He relaxes a little as Ignis works his cock, making it easier for him to take more, until finally he bottoms out. Ignis moves both hands to circle around Noctis's back and pulls him down for a kiss, anything to distract himself from the intensity of being fully seated inside Noctis.

"How do you feel?" Ignis murmurs against his lips. Noctis rolls his hips a little, experimentally, and Ignis groans, his head falling back into the pillows.

Noctis laughs -- of course he does -- and says, "Pretty good, how about you?"

His instincts tell him to demur, but Ignis reminds himself that he's decided not to hold back tonight. "Incredible."

"Yeah?" Noctis rolls his hips again, starting up a slow rhythm, and Ignis begins to worry that he's not going to last long enough for Noctis to come. "Is that good?"

"Nnngh . . . Yes, yes, Noct, that's good, you're-- perfect, you're perfect," Ignis says. He's aware that he's babbling, but his brain is getting so fogged with pleasure that he can't seem to care. Noctis looks like he appreciates the praise in any case; he tries lifting himself up and sinking back down on Ignis's cock, and oh gods, that's even better. Whatever the consequences are for deflowering the crown prince, Ignis doesn't care, because this is absolutely worth it.

"Oh!" Noctis's exclamation of surprise comes as he sinks down a little harder than the last time, and his cock jerks against Ignis's stomach. He does it again, lifting up higher and coming down hard, and Ignis finds himself clutching Noctis's hips and thrusting up to meet him. "Oh, fuck," Noctis gasps, "keep doing that, that feels--"

It's hard to find a rhythm where they're synchronized, and Noctis seems to have relaxed into the penetration, so Ignis holds on and rolls them over. He kisses Noctis hard, pushing him down onto the bed, then starts fucking him in earnest. Ignis has never been very quiet in bed, and the way Noctis is responding to this would be enough to make anyone lose their composure. Noctis is much louder on the receiving end, moaning and cursing with every thrust, and Ignis bites his lip against the rising tide of pleasure.

"Noct," he gasps, slowing down to stop things from ending too soon, "I can't go much longer."

Noctis leans up to claim his mouth, though it's more a mess of lips and tongue than a real kiss at this point. "Yeah, fuck, me too," Noctis says, reaching for his own cock. "Don't hold back, you're so hot like this."

Ignis doesn't ask, _like what?_ , because he knows exactly what Noctis means. Noctis is always gorgeous but the sounds he's making and the way he's moving underneath him sends heat sparking through Ignis's body like never before. Ignis groans and drops his head to Noctis's shoulder, holding himself up on one elbow while his other hand roams greedily over Noctis's body, clutching at his ass, rubbing over a nipple, stealing in between them to join with Noctis's own hand on his cock.

Ignis tries to hold back and wait for Noctis to come first, but the tight heat of Noctis's body has him unraveling at the seams, and too soon he's tipping over the edge, slamming their hips together probably too roughly, making frankly embarrassing sounds as he thrusts in deep and spills into the condom. That's alright though, because Noctis is moving their joined hands faster, his hips jerking up into their grip even as Ignis rides out the last of his own climax, and then Noctis shouts as his cock pulses between them, wave after wave of come making a mess of both of them.

Breathing hard, Ignis presses kisses to Noctis's neck, then his cheek, then his lips. Noctis leans into the kiss, languidly teasing Ignis's mouth open and sliding their tongues together. It's so good; everything is so good, but they're also a mess, so Ignis pulls out and disposes of the condom, then gets a wet washcloth to clean them up with.

"Come back to bed," Noctis says when Ignis has finished, before he can even start to think about getting dressed.

"I shouldn't spend the night," Ignis replies, but he gets back into the bed anyway and lets Noctis curl up against him with a pleased hum.

"That was . . . really good," Noctis murmurs into Ignis's shoulder. "Did I do okay? Was it okay for you?"

"You were amazing, and it was perfect." Ignis tightens his arm around Noctis's waist, and relaxes as he feels Noctis smile against his skin.

"'m gonna be sore for a while, I think," Noctis mumbles with a yawn.

"I'll see if I can find a potion for you tomorrow before you go to train with Gladio." Ignis glances at the clock and finds it's past two in the morning. The lateness of the hour combines with bone-deep satisfaction to leave him yawning as well, and he briefly considers giving in to the temptation to close his eyes and fall asleep here in Noctis's bed.

But Noctis is still a prince, and Ignis is still his advisor. He presses a kiss to Noctis's hair, then to his lips, as Noctis smiles blearily at him, already mostly asleep. Ignis withdraws and Noctis lets him go, rolling into the warm spot in the bed he's left behind. He pulls his clothes back on, adjusting himself in front of Noctis's mirror until he doesn't look too rumpled.

Ignis pauses in the doorway of the bedroom, smiling as he watches Noctis sleep, then collects himself and heads home.

***

True to his word, Ignis arrives at Noctis's apartment at nine with a potion in hand. Normally Noctis would be at the Citadel for training by now, but Ignis had texted Gladio to let him know that Noctis had had a late night and rescheduled his training to start at ten. As he'd feared, the tabloids do have some photos from the party ("Royalty: Just Like Us! Teenage Prince Noctis Attends High School Party"), but at least it's not a front page headline, and the photos are blurry cell phone snaps of Noctis smiling politely and standing back from the crowd, or chatting with Prompto. It's hardly the first time there have been photos of Noctis and Prompto together, so this event is nothing much to remark upon, even for the worst gossip magazines.

He knocks, then lets himself in when there's no answer. The shower is running, so at least Noctis is out of bed. Ignis busies himself with making coffee and preparing breakfast. Something light, he thinks, so Noctis won't get sick during training.

By the time he's adding some cut-up strawberries to the plate of toast and scrambled eggs, Noctis emerges from his bedroom in a white T-shirt and black athletic pants. "Good morning, Your Highness," Ignis says, smiling at Noctis's pleased expression.

"Morning." Noctis sits down carefully, grimacing a little, then notices the potion sitting next to his coffee and downs it. "You didn't have to," he says as Ignis sets his breakfast in front of him.

"I know." Sitting across from Noctis, Ignis sips his own coffee, having eaten earlier in the morning. The quiet breakfast routine is comfortable, making last night almost seem like a dream, but as much as Ignis has tried not to think about everything that's happened between himself and Noctis, there are some things that he thinks they need to talk about.

When Noctis is taking his last bite of toast, Ignis asks, "Why me?"

"Hmm? Why you what?"

Ignis looks down at his coffee, cradled between his hands. "Why did you come to me to learn about sex?"

Noctis looks up at him, eyebrows raised, then back down at his plate. "Because I trust you," he says finally. "Because I know you wouldn't make fun of me, and you wouldn't risk my reputation. Because you understand that I can't give you anything more."

He sips his coffee, then catches Ignis's eyes and adds, "Because . . . I wanted to learn from someone I care about." Ignis's heart swells at his words, and Noctis smiles shyly and looks away. "I hope I'm more than just a job to you. You've always been more than just an advisor to me."

It's true that there's never been a good word to describe his relationship with Noctis. Yes, Ignis has duties and responsibilities, which he's sometimes happy to perform and sometimes not so happy to, but Noctis has never just been his job. Being together since childhood, having his entire existence revolve around Noctis, watching Noctis grow from a kind boy to a respectable young prince and hopefully into a wise and generous king . . .

Noctis has never been a job. Noctis has always been his _life_.

"Yes," he says, smiling back across the table. "You're rather more than a job to me."

There's a long moment between them, where Ignis feels deeply that they understand each other, and then it's broken by the alarm on Ignis's phone going off. He thumbs it away, then stands up. "I'll give you a ride to the Citadel," he says as he clears the plates.

Noctis grins and grabs his gym bag. "You got it, Specs."

**Author's Note:**

> A million thanks to [misswonderheart](http://misswonderheart.tumblr.com), my A+++ beta/all-around fandom bestie, and to [r3zuri](http://r3zuri.tumblr.com), my cheerleader! I could never have done this without you guys.
> 
> Find me on tumblr [@marmolita](http://marmolita.tumblr.com)!


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